Geologic Time / 1 posts found

Geologic time

Geologic time, the extensive interval of time occupied by the Earth’s geologic history. It extends from about 3.9 billion years ago (corresponding to the age of the oldest known rocks) to the present day. It is, in effect, that segment of Earth history that is represented by and recorded in rock strata.
The geologic time scale is the calendar for events in Earth history. It subdivides all time since the end of the Earth’s formative period as a planet (nearly 4 billion years ago) into named units of abstract time: the latter, in descending order of duration, are eons, eras, periods, and epochs. The enumeration of these geologic time units is based on stratigraphy, which is the correlation and classification of rock strata.